Going from Goals to Knows

New Year’s Day is a time to start fresh, begin new projects and set goals of self-improvement — or at least that’s what we tell ourselves the first few days of January. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions, but very few of us see them through. In fact, more than 40 percent of Americans make some sort of promise to themselves for the upcoming year. Of these 127 million Americans, how many see their goals to fulfillment? According to a University of Scranton study, the answer is only a minuscule eight percent. So what can we do to see our New Year’s resolutions survive to fruition?

First and foremost, it is important to change your mindset and your terminology. Instead of referring to your “goals,” which means something you are going to try to accomplish, instead focus on your “knows.” It is very different when you say, “I’m setting a goal to change professions in which I can earn $100,000,” versus saying, “I know I am going to change career paths and earn a $100,000 within one year.” This simple mind shift and word change will enable you to stick to your commitment of what you know you are going to do, rather than what you hope you’re going to do in setting goals. In addition, the solution is made up of two equally important parts. The first step is to create quantifiable knows that you structure into a manageable plan, and secondly, to visualize your knows to the point that you are certain they will exist in your future.

Defining what you know to be true comes first. What do you want, and why? Keep your knows list short — it is better to do one thing well than to do 10 things poorly. Once you commit to your knows, whatever they may be, quantify them. Psychology studies tell us that setting quantifiable knows is the best way to succeed. Instead of saying, “I want to do my best in a marathon this year,” aim at a specific finishing time. “Do my best” can have multiple meanings, whereas a quantifiable time provides a specific benchmark at which to aim. Once you have a defined set of knows, then be sure to structure your time and workload to reach them accordingly. On Jan. 1, you can’t just jump off your couch and run a marathon — you will more than likely give up. If you start out with a training schedule however, which starts small and builds to the full 26.2 miles, then you will succeed. Pair that with a committed finishing time, and you have yourself a fail-resistant know as your New Year’s resolution. But, now that you have the framework to achieve your knows, how do you hold yourself to them?

Creating concrete objectives will make implementing your knows into a business plan of success. Now you need the mindset to stick to your plan.

Napoleon Hill is perhaps the greatest mind in the world of self-improvement; he quite literally wrote the book on imagining yourself into success. Hill’s 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich, has sold over 70 million copies and is a requisite text for anyone seeking a path to success. Of the countless pieces of advice and insight Hill provides, the core of the book rests on the power of thought. Hill tells us that just casually thinking about a goal is not enough. Each chapter of Think and Grow Rich explores specific ways in which we can use the power of thought to reach our goals. In a nutshell, powerful and specific thought will manifest into the physical world. If you want to become a bestselling author, do not say, “I want to write a bestselling book this year.” Instead tell yourself, “I have written the bestselling novel, titled ____.” Publicly declare your future, and, through hard work and daily focus, it will come true!

When actor Jim Carrey first moved to Hollywood, he had nothing but a desire to succeed. Every day, Carrey, who at the time was broke, would visualize himself being approached by directors to star in films. He knew big roles and big money were out there, he just hadn’t gotten there yet. In the early 1990s, Carrey wrote himself a check for $10 million, and then he set out to work for it. Five years later, Carrey learned he would be making that money from the movies Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Dumb & Dumber. Carrey looked within himself, realized his know and put every ounce of himself toward that clearly visualized know until it came true. In 1997, Carrey told this story to Oprah, and, in turn, he introduced Oprah to the power of visualization. Carrey visualized every day the success he saw himself having, and, as the teachings of Napoleon Hill tell us, Carrey’s thoughts and convictions translated into tangible, real-world success.

Tony Robbins is another success story. Robbins is a self-made billionaire who not only used the teachings of Hill to better himself, but he also built upon Hill’s work to create his own wildly successfully brand of self-improvement philosophy. Robbins’ teachings, which, like Hill’s, help millions of people around the world reach a higher level of happiness and wealth, focus on financial education as well as personal betterment and success.

Overall, focusing your mind on what you know you are going to accomplish is the true path to obtaining and maintaining ultimate success. Hill brought this idea of the law of attraction to the forefront of American thinking. Visualize what you want, and, with hard work to match the focus, you will achieve that which you picture in your mind. So for 2016, set your knows; build a plan; and focus on what you know you will accomplish every single day until it moves from your mind into reality.

Real Life Example

Here’s how to get from goals to knows.

List your knows for the next 10 years, such as:
I’m going to build a $100 million company.
I will write five more books that will be bestsellers on The New York Times Best Sellers List.
I will open 70 office throughout the United States and Canada.
I will create a team of highly successful and happy professionals.
I will own equity in 25 different companies.
I will become a household name in my industry.
I will have a national syndicated TV and radio show.
I will start my own nonprofit organization.
I will have the flexibility to work a few hours per week.
I will spend more quality time with my family.

Become crystal clear on what you know in your soul that you are going to accomplish. Then confess your knows to the world! Align yourself with highly successful mentors, as their long road has now become your short road. Adjust and readjust your knows along the way, and remember that it’s okay to surpass your knows. Meditate, visualize and celebrate your accomplishments and successes! Replace your goals with your knows, and you will experience a huge mental shift that will allow you to attract your desired results!